October 13, 2024
Being middle eastern and south asian is to be worried about your home country at all phases in your life.
From being a child, to a teen, to an adult, there has been destruction of my homeland.
The impact of watching people who look like you be dehumanized, misunderstood, and villainized is not something you should ever have to deal with.
To watch your neighboring countries go through genocide and wondering if you are next is unfortunately a reality many of us hyphenated americans live with.
I.e Iranian-American ,
Pakestani-American
Our identity as Americans gets hyphenated. Meanwhile you dont often see
French-American,
German-American
You just see, American.
We have to process and sit with the feelings of violence of colonialism. Grief the lives we never got to have because of it. Advocate for our rights.
However, here is also where we have a choice. Do we radically accept our situation and work on supporting ourselves through this life? Or do we get stuck in the pain and not do anything to ameliorate our situation?
This is where community & culture comes into play.
Our bodies are being impacted by the violence of colonialism, and here, we have to look to our cultures to see what nourished our ancestors.
There is wisdom in understanding what sustained our ancestors. Three things that come to mind are:
- food
- dance
- community / mutual aid
Eating the same foods as our ancestors, especially the spices and the natural herbs/elixers they created, allows our bodies to be nourished with that feels familiar and helpful to them.
When we cannot geographically rely on our countries to remain ours, food can be a way that we psychologically reclaim our cultures and identities.
I came across this idea comes from Food Writer, Reem Kassis, who states, "For Palestinians, whose national identity is constantly undermined without an independent state, constructs other than geography become vital to a sense of rootedness and identity. Food for Palestinians becomes a way to reclaim our country, if not geographically, at least psychologically and emotionally..."
These spices, dishes, and hearty foods sustained our people, and is a big part of how we still exist despite out circumstances.
In Persian culture, dance, or "raghs" is a huge part of the culture.
Women dance together at gatherings, and it is a bonding part of sisterhood.
Each middle eastern & south asian culture has its own dances, and learning these movements can be intimidating, but by stepping into the discomfort of learning them, we get to relieve our bodies in the ways our ancestors did. There is something really special about that :).
There is also much research to support that dance is beneficial to our mental health, reducing out stress and allowing our bodies to somatically get out trauma.
Surrounding yourself with people from your community, your neighboring communities, and other marginalized communities allows you to hold each other and support each other.
It helps you not feel as alone in the scary conditions that we live in.
This can look as simple as shopping at ethnic grocery stores.
At every ethnic grocery store I have shopped at, I create beautiful connections with the people who work there.
I felt inspired to write this post when I went to a local Palestinian market and ordered dinner from them while I bought some groceries.
I had ordered some food, and when I went to check out, the lady told me, “I packed some extra chicken for you because I wanted you to have food. I also packed you some dessert to enjoy tonight.” 🥺.
I got emotional and felt deeply held and cared for.
Our communities sustain us.
I reflected on how many relationships I have with the ladies who work at my local Persian Markets. They check in on me, when I look tired they ask how I’m doing, and I check in on them. They give me advice as elders, and they make me feel safe.
We support each other.
Your existence is resistance, and your ancestors are proud of you 💛.
I hope reading this will inspire you to engage in your culture and communities as well 🧡. It can really look as simple as grocery shopping, moving, and eating :).
With love,
Tara 💛🌼✨
